Printing device



Patented Jan. 6, 1942 PRINTING DEVICE Charles H. Van Dusen, Jr., Willoughby, Ohio, assignor to Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a. corporation of Dela- Ware Application January 17, 1941, Serial No. 374,854

6 Claims.

This invention relates to printing devices of, for example, the kind that are passedY seriatim through addressing and like printing machines and which are customarily stored in suitable drawers or the like when not in use.

In its primary aspects, this invention pertains to what are known in the art as one-piece printing devices in contradistinction to printing devices that embody a frame on which an embossed metal plate is detachably retained and on which frame there is also what is called an index card bearing an impression made from at least selected of the embossed type characters on the plate whereby the index card facilitates ascertainment, inY filing and other handling of the printing devices, of what may be printed from the type characters. The printing devices disclosed in Duncan Patent No. 1,026,247, patented May 14, 1912, and.- in Tomlinson Patent .No. 1,151,501, patented August 24, 1915, are representative of the kind of printing devices to which the present invention primarily pertains, which is to say, printing devices which do not embody an index card of the aforesaid character wherefore, in order to ascertain what may be printed p from the embossed type characters, it is necessary to read the type characters.

The type characters are customarily embossed on a printing device to appear in relief on one face and in intaglio on the opposite face. The

One-piece printing devices of the aforesaid i character have heretofore been produced from rolled metallic strips and as a result light-reflective surfaces are found on opposite faces of the printing devices. Such surfaces have somewhat impaired reading the type characters .embossed on the device for in addition to the light-reflective faces a plurality of rounded or more or less angularly related surfaces were produced in the embossing operation, which also tended to burnish the metal and increase the light-reflective properties thereof. Hence, with the light-reflective properties of the adjacent face of the device and the light-reflective surfaces of the embossed characters it was somewhat difcult to distinguish one type character from another when attempting to read the same.

In order to facilitate reading of the intaglio faces of type characters embossed on one-piece printing plates it has heretofore been proposed to fill these faces with paint or other material to thereby contrast the type characters froml the adjacent surface of the printing device. This, however, is subject to objections since filling the intaglio faces of the type characters is relatively expensive and in View of the service to which printing devices of this character are put, in which they are frequently subjected. to shocks, pressure and the like, it is somewhat diicult to retain paint or the like in the intaglio faces of the embossed type characters.

Thus while the difficulty of reading the intaglio faces of type characters embossed on one-piece printing devices has heretofore been recognized, there has been no satisfactory solution of the problems entailed in facilitating the reading of such type characters, and therefore the primary object of the present invention is to overcome the diiculties heretofore encountered in the reading of type characters embossed on so-called one-,piece printing devices and the like.

One of the diiiculties that has been encountered heretofore in reading embossed type characters has been the glareV attendant to light falling on the smooth and somewhat glaring face of the printing device when it was attempted to read the embossed type characters, and thus another object of the present invention is to afford a non--glaring surface on a printing device and thereby facilitate reading of type characters embossed thereon.

, Furthermore, another difficulty that has been encountered in endeavoring to read type characters embossed on printing devices has arisen by reason of the fact that there was no contrast between such an embossed type `character and the adjacent surface of the printing device, and thus another object of this invention is to enable a contrast to be established between an embossed type character and the adjacent surface of the printing device on which it is embossed and thereby expedite reading of the embossed type character.

Other and more specic objects are to afford at least one dull surface on a printing device or the like and thereby render such surface nonglaring; to so treat at least one surface of a printing or like device that when a type character is embossed on the devicea contrast will be 55? afforded between such character and the adjacent surface of the device; and to afford a dull surface on at least one face of a printing or like device so that in the course of embossing a type character on the device the portion so embossed will be somewhat burnished to thereby afford a contrast with the dull surface, whereby reading of the embossed type character will be facilitated both by reason of the contrast thus afforded and the non-glare properties of the adjacent dull surface of the device.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated inthe accompanying drawing which, by way of illustration, shows a preferred embodiment and the principle thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the presentinvention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the intaglio face of a typical printing device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational View,` drawn to an enlarged scale, of the: intaglio face of the device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional perspective view taken substantially on the line 3-3 on Fig. 1.

The printing device illustrated in the accompanying drawing is, of course, merely illustrative of a wide Variety of devices in which my invention may be embodied. The illustrated device D includes a substantially rectangular body B' having spacing flanges F formed along the longer edges thereof by folding the Vmarginal portions of the longer edges'of the body over onto one face thereof. 'Ribs R are formed in the body 'B immediately inwardly of the spacing flanges F and project upwardly from what will be referred to hereinafter as the relief face'of the printing device, that'is,` the face of the device on which vembossed type characters appear in relief. The'ribs' R cooperate with theY spacing flanges F to facilitate aligning of the printing. devices one with the other in face-to-face relation, the purpose of the spacing flanges and cated rails in the drawers in which the devices are filed for storage purposes to retain the devices in the drawers. Printing devices ofthe aforesaid character are produced from flat metallicY strips of a thickness equal to vthat desired inthe printing devices. 1

Typecharacters T are embossed in the body of the device as D in a Vsuitableembossing machine, of which that disclosed in lDuncan Patent'No. 1,518,904, patented December 9, 192'4, is eX- emplary. These type characters are so embossed in the body that they appear in relief Aon the face of the printing device from which the ribs R extend and in practice the type characters project from this ,facev of` the printing device, known as therelief face, in van amount slightly greater than the extent of the ribs R from such face. The type characters T appear in intaglio on the opposite face of the `printing device, which is knownas the intaglio face, 4and which is the face of the device D that appears'inv Figs. land 2.

In the operation of embossing a type character on the body of a device as D, the embossing dies of the embossing machine, which may be of the character disclosed in Duncan Patents Nos. 1,048,459-, 1,048,460 or 1,048,461, patented December 24, 1912, or in Duncan Patents Nos. 1,102,397 or 1,102,398, patented July 71914, so operate that the metal of the body is depressed or dished toward the relief face in such a way that what may be called a platform is formed and the configuration of the particular type character or the like is raised from the medial part of this platform-like portion. Thus, in embossing the body B to afford a type character from which the letter H may be printed, what will be called a platform P is formed. This platform lies in a plane spaced well below the intaglio face of the device D'and is joined to the body B by inclined side and end Walls S and S that extend in angular relation with the faces of the body. The side and end walls S and S roundingly merge into the body B and platform P as indicated at E and E in the accompanying drawing. Furthermore, in forming the type character in the platform P, inclined side walls Z are afforded along the edges of the type character.

Thus, it will be seen that each type character, as that from which the letter I-I may be printed, is formed at the bottom of a dished or pan-like portion, when viewed from the intaglio face of the printing device. If, as has been the custom, the surfaces of this dished portion have lightreflective properties, conflicting reflections may arise when light falls on one or more of the walls Z, S and S and edges E or E and on the face of the printing device and on the face Y ofthe type character on the platform P and ,such conflicting refiections froml ,theivwalls and edges of the type character andsurfaceof the device make read'ingof the typecharacter difcult.

' Of course, whenaplurality of type characters are embossed in side-by-side relation, as4 is Vdone in forming' ypcharacters' from which the name AJohn may `be printed, then theend Walls S of adjacent dished vportions are aligned one with the other anda continuous end wall and platform are afforded and sidewalls as S are found only at the vends of the series of so interrelated dished portions. `,'This affords relatively elongated end walls S and edges Eand E'and, in effect, protracted 'light-reflective surfaces disposed in angular relation with each other. I have obseryed thatit is sometimes easier to read thel type characters'in'the intermediate part of such `aseries, where reflections fromrside walls asS are not effective, than 'it is to read thejtype characters at .the ends ofsuch a seresand in an instance where but `a singlej type character' is embossed, for the reflections from side walls as S appear to conflict with other reflections and reading of the type characters adjacent'A such walls S is markedly impaired. I thereforefpropose ,to afford, and this invention resides vin affording-a1 dull surface on at least [one face of .a printing deviceas D fand thereby prevent objectionable light reflection from the surface.V I have found that the Iprovision of adull ormatte surface greatly facilitates reading of. type. characters embossed von'a device including suchl a surface'and this islespecially true if the dull'surface is afforded on the face of the device' whereat type characters embossed thereon,appearin'intaglio.r f `A dull surface of the character contemplated by 'the present invention may'be'aiforded vby satisfactorily etched in any of a number of ways ,o

as by immersing the cleaned strip or strips or device or devices in dilute sulphuric 'or nitric acid or by dipping the same in hydrochloric acid. However, a particularly satisfactory etching solution for strips of zinc or devices made from such a strip consists of one ounce of ammonium dichromate, four ounces of sulphuric acid (66 Baume) and four ounces of nitric acid (36 Baume) with sufficient water to make one gallon of the solution. Strips or devices cleaned as aforesaid and immersed in this solution for from one to five minutes are found to be etched sufficiently for the purpose of producing the desired dull or matte surface of the present invention, and immersion for about one and onehalf minutes appears to be the optimum time. After being removed from theV etching solution the strips or devices are thoroughly rinsed in water and subsequently dried and possess a uniform dull grey surface free of a tendency to crack, peel or rub off.

Among other ways in which a dull or matte surface suitable for the purposes of the present invention may be produced on a printing device. and particularly where such a surface is desired on but one face of each' device, is to resort to what is known as strip rolling. In strip rolling two metallic sheets are passed through a conventional sheet rolling mill in face-to-face contact under relatively high friction and in the course of such passage of the sheets through the mill a dull or matte surface is produced on each of the interengaged faces of the sheets. Moreover, resort may be had to sand blasting, wire brushing or the like to produce the desired dull or matte surface on the printing devices. In any event, whether resort is had to such mechanical production of the dull surface or whether such a surface is produced chemically, such a surface, within the purview of the present invention, will be afforded by minutely pitting at least one face of th'e device. When resort is had to mechanical production of the desired dull surface, it will be advantageous to produce the surface on the metallic strips from which the printing devices are to be formed prior to the production of the devices from such strips whereas if resort is had to chemical etching, this may be done either before or after formation of the device.

It is to be noted that if a coating, in contradistinction to minute pitting, is applied to the strips or devices to afford th'e desired dull surface such a coating might exhibit a tendency to chip or peel off and might tend to clog the embossing dies of the character employed in embossing machines such as that disclosed in Patent No. 1,518,904 referred to above, a condition which it is essential to avoid in order to insure satisfactory results. However, dull surfaces afforded by minute pitting do not produce objectionable clogging of the dies of an embossing machine of the aforesaid character and are free'of other and related objections.

When a dull surface is produced on al printing device in any of th'e ways hereinabove described, or in an equivalent manner, and one or more type characters are embossed on the device, a plurality of rounded or more or less angularly related surfaces are formed. Moreover, as an incident to the operation of the embossing dies, portions of the metal embossed to afford the type characters and especially those portions a'djacent the base of the type character on the intaglio face thereof, indicated by Y and Z in the accompanying drawing, are somewhat burnished to thereby be rendered somewhat bright whereby light-reflective properties are imparted thereto. Hence, when light falls on the adjacent dull surfaces and also on the bright surfaces as Y and Z, a contrast is afforded between the burnished and somewhat bright and the dull surfaces which facilitates reading of the type characters. Furthermore, since the face of the printing device adjacent the embossed portions and upper parts of suchportions are substantially free of light-reflective properties, conflicting reflections are not set up when light falls on such surfaces and this, coupled with the aforesaid contrast between the burnished or somewhat bright surfaces and adjacent dull surfaces, enable easy reading of the type characters.

Hereinabove, I have referred t0 use of this invention in one-piece printing devices and it is in such instances that the invention will be particularly useful. However, the invention may also be advantageously embodied in printing plates of the character disclosed in Gollwitzer Patent No. 1,955,803, patented April 24, 1934, for printing plates of this character also'have type characters embossed therein, for example, in machines of the character disclosed in Patent No. 1,518,904, referred to hereinabove.` The provision of at least one dull surface on printing plates of this character will facilitate the operator of such an embossing machine verifying whether or not the type characters embossed on a particular plate are those desired for here again th'e provision of a dull surface will facilitate reading the intaglio faces of the type characters.

The invention, however, will be primarily useful in so-called one-piece printing devices for the reason that it is necessary in all uses of such printing devices to read the type charactersI whereas a printing plate of the character disclosed in Patent No. 1,955,803, referred to above, is usually employed in a'printing device of the character disclosed, for example, in Mohler Patent No. 1,812,894, patented July 7, 1931, which device includes an index card bearing an impression from at least selected of th'e type characters embossed on the plate of the device and this card is customarily read to ascertain what may be printed from the embossed type characters. However, since the invention will be useful in both one-piece printing devices and plates adapted for use in printing devices of the character disclosed in Patent No. 1,812,894, the term plate is used in the appended claims in the sense of being generic to one-piece printing devices and plates of the character disclosed in Patent No. 1,955,803.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modica'tion and I therefore do not wish' to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview 0f the following claims:

I claim:

1. A printing plate on which type characters may be embossed and having a dull surface on at least one facethereof of such nature that at least a portion of such surface that is displaced in the operation of embossing type characters on the plate may be burnished in the embossing operation to thereby be contrasted with the adjacent dull surface on the plate.

2. A printing plate on which type characters may be embossed and having at least one .face thereof so chemically etched that at least a portion of such surface that is displaced in the operation of embossing type characters on the plate may be burnished in the embossing operation to thereby be contrasted with` the adjacent dull surface on the plate.

3. A printing plate on which type characters may be embossed and having at least one face thereof so mechanically treated that at least a portion of such surface that is displaced in the operation of embossing type characters on the plate may be burnished in the embossing operation to thereby be contrasted with the adjacent dull surface on the plate.

4. The method of producing a surface substantially free of light-reective properties on at least one face of a printing plate adapted to have type characters embossed thereon which consists in so minutely pitting such surface that in the operation of embossing type characters on the plate at least a portion of the minutely pitted surface that is displaced in the embossing operation may be burnished to thereby become contrasted with the adjacent surface that is substantially free of light reflective properties by reason of the pitting thereof.

5. The method of producing a surface substantially free of light-reflective properties on at least one face of a printing plate adapted to have type characters embossed thereon which consists in so mechanically producing a minute pitting of the surface that in the operation of embossing type characters on the plate at least a portion of the minutely pitted surface that is displaced in the embossing operation may be burnished to thereby become contrasted with the adjacent surface that is substantially free of light reective properties by reason of the pitting thereof.

6. The method of producing a surface substantially free of light-reective properties on at least one face of a metallic printing plate adapted to have type characters embossed thereon which consists in so chemically etching the metal that in the operation of embossing type characters on the plate at least a portion of a surface that is so etched and which is displaced in the embossing operation may be burnished to thereby be contrasted with the adjacent surface that is substantially free of light reiiective properties by reason of the etching thereof.

CHARLES H. VAN DUSEN, JR. 

